MORE STUDENTS LIKELY TO GET A SHOT AT IITS

NEW DELHI: The number of students qualifying for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITS) through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced is likely to be increased, persons familiar with the developments said. As per IIT data, out of the 1,55,158 students who took JEE in 2018, only 18,138 students qualified. According to officials, in an emergency meeting of the Joint Admission Board (JAB) held on Wednesday, most IIT directors were of the view that the cut-off cannot be lowered at this juncture as results have already been announced. Hence it was decided to get more data to study if there should be extra measures to ensure seats don’t go vacant in IITS. “A final decision will be taken soon without compromising the merit,” said a senior IIT director. Directors are also of the view that a better picture will emerge once counselling starts and students start taking admission. Further consultations are also on with the HRD ministry for a final decision. This year, the result of the JEE Advanced 2018 witnessed a fall in the number of candidates who qualified. Students who clear JEE Advanced are eligible for admission in any one of the 23 IITS in the country. The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JOSAA) will announce the first seat allotment on June 27.